Anyone who has ever handled parcels, packages, or cartons of a variety of materials, for example cardboard or some other paper or fibrous shipping material, knows how awkward lifting and carrying such cartons can be. Because cartons or boxes are typically smooth on the outside, during normal handling, i.e., by hand, one is at risk of dropping the carton, particularly if the carton is of a large or unwieldy size. In addition, the amount of bending or body English normally required in handling cartons of such as just described subjects one to the danger of back, neck or shoulder injury.
Other difficulties encountered by materialmen in handling cartons on a dock or moving boxes from trucks to conveyor belts and the like, is the wear and tear on the hands of the worker. In particular, cardboard boxes, which as previously mentioned are smooth, by their nature, sap the human hand of its oils and moisture by their absorbent characteristics. Common problems encountered by box handlers are the drying and cracking of their hands, as well as the formation of callouses by the inherent slipping of the carton or box during handling.
Some workers wear gloves to counteract such hand problems. However, when wearing gloves, the dexterity and ability to manipulate a box or carton as well as the overall grip obtained is less than that achieved by the hand.
What is needed then, is an aid for material handlers to help manipulate and handle boxes minimizing the duty on the hands, as well as improving the grip needed to handle such materials safely.
Another example which illustrates common problems among materialmen is the movement of boxes or cubes of material from conveyor belts. Standard cubic materials, such as cork, styrofoam, or boxes and cartons require the use of two hands. When using bare hands without any lifting aid, the worker is limited in the weight which can be moved due to the ability to grip and lift the material. Because of the awkwardness of handling these materials as well as the limitations of the hand to firmly grip the material, what is needed is an aid for workers which allows a firm grip and provides an ability to lift heavier materials than can be lifted simply by hand.
Often, the size or girth of an object or carton is such that, while liftable in terms of weight, it takes two persons to manage the piece, because one person has to reach opposing corners of the box in order to get a firm grip. If a device existed which could allow the manipulation of such pieces such as oversized cartons, then the labor requirement for some handling tasks would be cut in half.
Prior art, for the most part, has concerned itself with scissor-like lifting devices which span a carton in order to pick it up. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,109,952 to Monzain, issued Aug. 29, 1978, a scissor operated tong device was for use in lifting packages. The claws of the device span the carton; thereby requiring a device at least the size of the piece to be lifted. The ends of the claws provide a stable gripping function at the corner of the package. The Monzain device may be operated with only one hand, but the position of the device is such that the carried load typically hangs vertically. Such a vertical positioning of the load is essentially driven by the design of the device, especially when the package to be lifted is of significant weight. No practical provision is made to manipulate the package; only basic lifting and setting of a load is capable with such a device.
Another example of such a scissor-like device is the kind of carrier tool employed to lift car batteries and other heavy objects which are dangerous to touch by hand. Again, the user is limited to simply picking up and putting down whatever load is being carried. Such a device is U.S. Pat. No. 4,678,217, issued to Viola et al.
Jul. 7, 1987. In this case, the device simply clamps two parallel sides of a battery or other load. Limited manipulation is possible with a device having such a handle configuration and contacting a box or carton in such a way. In Viola, and other similar devices, the weight of the carton provides the force to close the clamps. Only firm boxes may be lifted when the load is heavy. What is needed is a better way of picking up and manipulating packages, cartons, bulk material and boxes, providing a capability to manipulate and maneuver a load without damage, even when the load is heavy.
Prior art showing a more manipulative way of picking up objects exists as U.S. Pat. No. 4,225,174, issued Sep. 30, 1980 to Hennessy et al. This device uses a trigger actuated set of jaws to collect refuse. Such a device is not designed, however, for picking up large or heavy items. The long distance between the operator's hand and the piece to be picked up or manipulated is too long, allowing too great a moment of force acting on the hand and wrist, making manipulation of heavy or large objects impractical.
Prior art showing a way to help workers manipulate boxes and cartons by using individually held grips is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,226,349 to Uccellini, issued Oct. 7, 1980. This patent was the first step in helping workers manipulate large or heavier boxes. The Uccellini patent utilizes two hand held blocks with a ledge that the user's fingers wrap around for lifting, and a series of pointed projections which engage a carton thereby providing the grip necessary to lift said carton. The Uccellini hand grips have limitations however, which have prevented it from achieving any market significance. These limitations include a matrix of pointed projections fashioned in such a way that when disengaged from the box, leave the surface of the box excessively damaged. Also, the ledge of the outer portion of the block is limited in terms of the contact area between the fingers and the ledge, resulting in tiring the hand and restricting the lifting capability of the hand grips. Configured as they are, to use the Uccellini grips requires one to slide a hand through a fixed strap and around the finger ledge. If too loose, the grip may pitch or yaw, resulting in injury to the user or damage to the lifted piece.
What is needed is a hand grip which leaves no damage to the material or carton it is used to lift, and a grip which is comfortable to the hand, allowing longer use, control, and greater lifting capability.
The Uccellini grips also do not provide much in the way of manipulation of the lifted piece. The user may move the box, but is limited in the amount of rotation or tilt he or she may apply to the lifted piece. The gripping movement, needed to engage the carton is also awkward, requiring an extra penetrating movement due to the size of the projections disclosed in the patent.
What is needed then is a grip device which will allow the user to manipulate cartons and boxes without the limitation of just generally lifting and setting the object. The grip device must also be easily engageable, allowing the user to use the grips in a natural motion.
Further, the device must allow the handling of larger and heavier loads, and provide a reliable and steady grip on the piece, with care not to damage the object, or in the case of a carton or box, the container or the goods inside. Such a device would provide a significant improvement over the current art for warehouse persons, delivery persons and stock workers.